Distraction
by Brightness Davar
Summary: A thing that takes your attention away from what you're doing or thinking about. An activity that amuses or entertains you.
1. King and Queen

**Got this idea when my sister approached me with some fancy, weird, and wonderful words.**

 **I don't own Frozen.**

 **Hope you enjoy :)**

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Distraction. That had been the name of the game. Distract Anna whenever she so much as blinked in suspicion. They had to protect their daughters and, unfortunately, that meant keeping them apart.

At four years old, Anna was proving to be much more of a handful and much too clever for her own good. King Agnarr and Queen Iduna had, after the accident and subsequent troll visit, told her that Elsa was sick. She was therefore unable to play or leave her room for "fear the infection would spread". Being the trusting ball of sunlight that she was, Anna had shown concern but accepted her parent's excuse wholeheartedly. Visiting her sister became a religious duty in order to coax good health to return to her big sister so that they could play again.

This in turn had caused the eldest such heartache that she continuously frosted anything she touched. Agnarr having noticed the slip in her control and colder temperature had taken her to the library to give her a pair of gloves he thought might help. After they repeated the phrase he hoped would learn her control, he asked her what had caused this laps.

"Do…do you really think my magic is a sickness?" Elsa asked in a whisper so faint, her father had to strain to hear her.

Agnarr frowned at the absurd question. "Of course not. It's a part of you that you just need to learn how to control. Like any good monarch needs to learn how to master their emotions, so you must too, for they are linked to what you feel."

Elsa nodded, studying her gloved hands clamped before her.

"Who told you that it's a sickness, Snowflake?"

The little girl bit her lip and glanced up into her father's loving eyes. She sighed, "No one…"

"Elsa." Already kneeled before her, he placed his hands on her tiny shoulders. "I know you're lying."

A flinch, a nervous lick of her lips, and worried eye contact later, Elsa told him how she assumed that _he_ had thought it was a sickness. "Anna keeps saying she hopes I get better. That whatever sickness I have will leave soon…"

"Oh...We told her you were sick so that she wouldn't bother you or worry while you couldn't be with her." The smile he gave was apologetic, but turned confident in his next words, "This is only temporary. You and Anna will be together again as soon as we know that you're…" _safe. That_ both _of you are._

"In control?" Elsa offered, mulling the idea over. "Do you really think I can be, Papa?"

"Yes." He answered without hesitating. "I know you can be, and we, your mother and I will be with you every step of the way."

And so, Agnarr and Iduna had decided that Elsa being 'sick' wasn't such a good excuse anymore. They had known that it wouldn't have worked in the long run anyway. Instead they told Anna that Elsa had recovered, but before she could sprint to go and see her sister, they told her that Elsa was not to be disturbed. While she had been sick, Elsa had been doing her reading. The King and Queen had decided to continue training Elsa in becoming Queen one day.

Anna pouted, her lips sticking so far out that it was comical. The little redhead stomped her foot at the injustice and crossed her arms petulantly.

"We've also decided that it's time you learnt how to ride a horse." Idunn stepped in before Anna could so much as voice the whine that was bubbling in her throat.

Teal eyes brightened like beams of pure light. She bounced on her toes, "Really?!"

"Yes, really?" Agnarr whispered when his wife answered their daughter with an affirmative. "She's only four. What if she falls?"

Iduna pitched her voice low enough that she didn't disturb Anna's celebratory dance. "She'll be fine. We need to keep her distracted…"

After that day, one distraction led to another. As soon as Anna would ask too many acute questions regarding her sister's prolonged absence, her parents would jump at any distraction they could grasp.

"Well, _you_ saw fit to have her learn ow to ride at four years old. Why not allow her to fence at eight?"

"Because she's a LADY, Agnarr. She's a prin- _cess_."

"As if that would force a member of our family to keep with the norm." he tried and failed to hide a fond smirk. "I seem to recall that's where I first laid eyes on you, my love. Training with the sword in the early hours of the morn."

"Yes, well…" Iduna coloured and cleared her throat. "I just…"

"She'll be fine." He assured using the same words she had used, four years ago, against her. . "We need to –"

"Keep her distracted." She finished his sentence with a huff. "Fine. But _you_ are going to train her." Casting him a half-hearted glare, she folded her lips in annoyance

"Think of it this way," he grinned at her, "Perhaps this will help her get rid of her excessive energy long enough to sit still during her lessons.

Anna blossomed under her father's watchful eye as she trained in swordsmanship. Iduna was loathe to admit it, but it did temper their youngest to a more manageable energy level. It also served to tire her out by the end of the day, making her ask less and less questions about her sister. Elsa, on the other hand, adored the view she had when she watched her father train her sister. The blonde girl had asked her father one day if he had arraigned for them to train in the garden before her window on purpose. He just smiled, his moustache lengthening. He didn't answer her question, he didn't need to.

But as things tend to go with Anna, she took to fencing quickly and grew bored with it. The same had happened with her horse riding and dancing lessons. She would still go out and groom her horse, or practise with her father, but it didn't hold her attention as much as it did in the beginning. Anna had grown used to only glimpsing her sister every now and again. She knew Elsa was much too busy learning how to become Queen…but couldn't she at least take a break or something? Papa works hard as King, often staying up late into the night and rising early – not that she'd know, sleeping in as she does – but she did see him take breaks. And he had Mama to help him when things got to be too much.

Maybe…maybe Anna could be that way to Elsa, too? Maybe if she took her own studies seriously, she could become a 'big girl' like her sister and be with her again. The little girl tried, she really did, to focus on her lessons and do her homework and perform as a princess should. She tried to reach out and encourage Elsa to come out, or do well in her studies or whatever, just so that they could be together again. But, as always, all she saw was the piece of rectangular wood keeping her from her best friend.

Things became too much for the little redhead. She needed to escape. But she was confined to the castle much like her sister was confined to her room. When her mind began to circle around all the possible reasons why her sister could just…stay away, she'd climb. She climbed every tree on the grounds to the highest branch. At the very top, where the branches could still hold her weight, she'd stare out over the walls, out to the horizon and to what lies beyond it. When the trees proved to become less and less of a challenge as the days wore on, she started to climb the castle.

It was full of the perfect sized handholds and pieces of roof that jutted out where she could sit and stare further out to sea. She nearly gave Gerda a heart attack when she climbed out the window one day to try and use the fancy pulley-thing the servants use to wash the stained glass from the outside. With a firm scold and a promise not to tell her parents, Gerda made her swear not to climb out there again.

"Why don't you try and read, dear?" Gerda suggested, leading her away from the window. "They're full of adventures in far-off places."

Anna had pulled a face at the proposal, pretty sure she'd die of boredom before she'd ever read for _fun_. Who even does that?! As it turns out, boredom was what drove her to try and read. And read she did. She devoured every single children's book in the library, and when they came to an end, she chanced to read books without pictures in them. It took her a few days to muster the will to read without having anything colourful to look at, but she found that she could imagine the story just as well as if she could see it in painted pictures.

Anna read and read and read and fell in love with every character she came across. She found solace in those she could relate to, especially the stories of princes rescuing the princess form her tower, or dragon, or some other threat. She read and acted out the stories in her free time. When she wasn't fencing, or riding, or stuck in some boring lesson, she could be found in the library. In the Summer or Winter, she'd sit and read and dream. Much too soon, the books ran out. Well, the fun books anyway. The library was chocked full of every kind of book. History. Philosophy. Biology. Botany. And many, many others. Anna wasn't that desperate. Until she was.

She'd skim the boring books that weighed a ton, like they had been stuffed with overtly boring facts. She fell asleep more often than she actually read what the book said. At thirteen years old, the redheaded princess had cultivated a healthy dislike towards any book that didn't have a story plot to follow and figure out.

One day, after a particularly uneventful day, she walked to the library hell bent on finding an interesting book. She stood at the threshold, breathing in the intoxicating aroma of paper and burning branches. A fire crackled pleasantly in the hearth, adding colour and warmth to an otherwise white and cold winter's day. A smile pulled at her lips, her eager eyes scanning the bookshelves. Maybe she could just reread one of her favourites? Curling before a fire with a book she enjoys sounds like _the best_ idea right now.

Anna took a step into the library and her eyes fell on the desk to her left, nestled amongst the bookshelves. It looked used. Recently used. A soft, curious wrinkle appeared between her brows as she made her way to the table. Blank papers were stacked about in neat piles, a book tower stood on the right side of the table. Anna turned her head to read the titles and groaned out loud. All the books were about Arendelle and its history in politics. Her groan died in her throat when she spied a neat paragraph written on one of the pages. It definitely wasn't her father's handwriting, maybe her mother's? But why would she need to read all this stuff? She already knows –

And then it hit her.

Elsa. Elsa had been here. She'd been busy studying and writing, using the only open book on the table. Had she just missed her? Anna looked up at the door. She hadn't seen anyone on her way to the library. To be fair, she had been staring at her feet as she walked. She could've easily missed her sister. She muttered a silent curse under her breath, and swivelled her head around to look behind her just in case someone had heard her. She was spending much too much time with the guards; their language was rubbing off on her. It's not their fault. They don't know that sometimes she watches them train form her perfectly concealed hideout.

Anna returned her attention to the open book before her and sat down. She knew, as sure as the dawn that Elsa wouldn't be back any time soon. She had an uncanny ability to make herself scarce whenever Anna was in the locale. The redhead shook herself mentally, not in the mood to brood. Instead, she bookmarked the page and closed the book to read the title.

"Advanced Dictionary…" she drawled. "Of course you'd look up what the meaning of a word is…"

With a sigh, she opened the book back up where Elsa was last, taking the bookmark out when it fell open with a thump. Her eyes scanned the words, wondering which one Elsa was looking up. Glancing at the paper she began to read what her sister had been writing.

"After the rebellion," Anna read the last sentence, forcing her eyes not to glaze over. "Christianssand and Arendelle formed a…a _what_?" she squinted at the foreign word. "A…c…coa– ugh. What does that word even mean?"

She dragged the dictionary closer to her and scanned the words in search of the definition. "It looks like something to do with coal maybe? Aha! Co…ali...tion. Coal-i-tion. Okay, coalition. Some sort of giggerish…where's the – oh okay, here we go." She cleared her throat, "a government formed by two or more political parties working together. To form a coal-ition. A two party coal-ition…Oh." She looked up at the page with her sister's neat writing. "Huh, that's actually a good word to use there."

She returned her attention back at the words in the dictionary, reading through the definition when one caught her attention.

"Coast…eer…ing. The sport of following a route around the coast by climbing, jumping off cliffs and swimming." Anna perked up in her seat. "Wow, that sounds like _so_ much fun. One day I'll go coast-eering. Maybe it'll be a better idea to do that in the summer, though."

Anna read through a few more pages before it dawned on her what exactly she was doing.

"Whoa, Anna…" she rubbed her face, "You're _reading_ the _dictionary_ …Desperate, much?" a sigh escaped her lips as she propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm. "At least it's kindof interesting."

She leaved through some more, skipping bundles of pages in search of an interesting new word.

"Huh, dis-cord-ant." She said, head bobbing as she talked with her chin in her hand. "Not in agreement; combining with other things in a way that's strange or unpleasant." A smile tugged at her lips, "Kindof like when I eat too much chocolate. My stomach is discordant with the sugar then. Heh, I need to remember that one."

An idea occurred to her then. What if she used these new words in her everyday conversations? She sat up and grinned. Maybe then she'll be taken seriously? Maybe then she'll be big enough to be with her sister again? She could help Elsa with writing fancy letters using the fancy words. With excitement vibrating off of her in waves, Anna moved Elsa's paper away and placed a blank page before her. Taking up the discarded quill, she dipped it in ink and wrote 'coalition' down along with its meaning at the very top of the page.

She beamed down at her crablike writing with pride. She could do this – she was born ready to do this.

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 **Alright! I'm super excited about this. Don't know how long it will be, we'll just have to wait and see. Got some hilarious things planned so stay tuned! :D**

 **'Till next time :)**


	2. Louis

**So! Here's the next installment :)**

 **Enjoy :)**

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Chef Jean-Louis Fournier, better known as Louis, had been serving the royal family since he had been a young man of five and twenty years. He had fled Paris with his little sister, Louka, after their home country had fallen into civil unrest, and had arrived in Norway by a stroke of luck. The King and Queen had, with benevolence that was unknown to the Fournier siblings, offered them a job in the kitchens as apprentices.

They had spent five glorious years serving the King and Queen of Arendelle, working themselves hard enough to earn the title of Chef and Sous-Chef respectably. Things had taken on a turn for the better when Princess Elsa had joined the royal family, with Princess Anna following three years later. They brought out another side of the monarchs that he hadn't known rulers could possess; a playful almost human side. For as long as Louis could remember, royalty - or the _Marquis_ as they were known in France - where unapproachable and inhuman - someone who made the rules, but seldom followed them. This was not the case with Arendelle or their Princesses. The two girls had endeared themselves to his heart and many of the staff as well. Laughter and mischief were a constant in the castle, until one day.

He doesn't know what had brought about this change, but it seemed that joy itself had been drained from everyone. The staff were reduced, the Princesses were separated, Elsa was almost never seen and Anna wandered around or was kept busy in some way or another. Louis' heart cramped whenever he saw the redhead's down turned face. And so, because he's a chef and a pretty fantastic baker, if he can say so himself, he made the little Princess treats every now and again. This ensured that she would be in the kitchen whenever she could be, in hopes that "Uncle Lu" could give her something sweet. He didn't complain, in fact he loved it when she would sit and watch him work.

Years passed with the eldest Princess still behind closed doors, but at least Louis could see his little redhead. Now, almost two and a half decades later, Louis knew the redhead almost as well as he knew himself. He knew that she adored _krumkake_ and chocolate. He knew she loved climbing everything, and sliding around in her socks. He knew she slept in and that she rarely made it out of bed before noon. To say that he was surprised to find a thirteen year old Anna in the kitchen at 9 o'clock in the morning would be an understatement.

" _Mon petite carotte_ ," he greeted with wide eyes when he exited the pantry with various dry ingredients. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Morning Lu," the girl greeted with a grin and a shrug, "Just thought I'd see what the big deal about this whole morning business was."

He made a noise of disbelief in the back of his throat as he walked to the large preparation table she sat by. Placing the ingredients down, he eyed her closely. She met his gaze with a smirk that dared him to ask the questions bubbling inside of him.

"You're looking –" she glanced down at something in her lap that he couldn't see, "…amic-able this morning."

His eyes softened with a smile, "Oui, I had a pleasant sleep last night and have delicious things to make today. It's going to be a good day, Highness."

He busied himself with the dry ingredients missing Anna's confused frown. He was planning on making chocolate _krumkake_ for dessert during lunch; there would be dignitaries visiting them from the Southern Isles and they needed a lot of dessert if Anna would be present. A lively tune drifted around them in the form of a whistle from the chef. The kitchen was busy, but not by much. Some attendants cleaned the morning's dishes in the sink, the cutlery clanking against the plates habitually.

 _Alright Anna,_ the Princess thought, squinting at the words on the paper she held in her lap, _Obviously that was too normal a word to use... Go big or go home, right?_

"So, Louis…"

The chef looked up from the big bowl he had taken from the cupboard, letting the whistle fade at her serious face.

"Seeing as I am…" she glanced at the paper, "...inept at making anything edible, could you please, "She glanced down at her lap again, "…deluge me with the secrets of baking?"

" _Déluge_ , your highness? Are you learning French?"

"Wait, what? French?"

"Oui," he smiled at her confused expression, returning to his work, "Earlier you said…uh," he twirled his hand in the air, searching for the word. "… _amical_?"

"AmicaBLE?"

With a nod he spooned four great helpings of butter into the bowl, "But you said it wrong. The proper way to say it is: _ami-_ cal _._ The French way. It means...freindly, no?"

"Yes. But I wasn't trying to speak French." Anna frowned at her lap. "At least I don't think I was…"

"And again, you mispronounced _inepte._ " Cracking six eggs into the bowl, he displayed a grace that belied his experience. "It's inEpte. Not INept." He pulled a sour face, looking like he had bitten into a lemon.

"That's not what I – Well, I didn't know that…"

"And again you said, _déluge_ , _oui_?" He turned away from her to the tap to wash his hands. "A… _déluge_ – a _flood_ of water, no?"

"Yes, but that's really not what –" A dramatic sigh rushed past her lips. "Look Louis." She waited for him to turn back around again and faltered when she saw his excited gleam in his eye. "I…I'm - I guess i need some help?"

"It would seem so," his smile was fond as he returned to mix the butter and eggs in the bowl. "It certainly took me a while to learn your strange accent. I can teach you, if you'd like, _mon petite carrote_?"

Anna smiled at him and gave a small nod of acceptance. This wasn't quite what she had expected to have happen when she planned on using her 'big words'. At least there was a bright side to this. As Anna watched her favourite chef, and dear friend's animated face pull this way and that in order to emphasise the word he was teaching her, she couldn't help but think that maybe learning new languages would be beneficial. She always did want to travel to the places her books talked about. Maybe this minor setback will help somewhere in the future…

A hearty chortle shook the chef's frame when Anna pulled her face to try and pronounce ' _beurre'_.

"Hey!" Anna's cheeks gave her hair colour a run for their money, "Don't laugh! My mouth just doesn't know what to do with itself!"

"My apologies, Princess." He chuckled, wiping a stray tear away. "But you should see the look on your face."

"Well, it's not _my_ fault your language sounds like talking with a mouth full of chocolate. Why not just say 'butter'? B…bo-ure…ugh! It's too hard to say!"

"BEUrre _. '_ E.U.' not 'O.U.'…" Louis looked up from scooping the batter with his spoon, pensive. "Make your face like you do when you…uh, _vomir_ …What's the word? Vomit?"

"You want me to gag? Like when I throw up?"

"Oui!" He snapped his fingers, eyes alight. "That's the word."

"Blegh…?" Anna's tongue made an appearance uncertainly. It poked out between her lips with her face scrunched in bewilderment.

"Almost! Try it like this…Be-ue." His mouth was round and sounded full when he spoke. "Without your tongue."

Anna folded her lips, wondering how she'd ever gag without using her tongue… "Be…" she sighed, frowning in concentration. "Beee-ue?"

"Ha! Perfect!" Louis applauded loudly.

"So, to speak French…I have to sound like I'm throwing up?"

"Not really, no. It's more like speaking with cotton in your mouth."

"I'd prefer chocolate…"

"You'll have all the chocolate you'd like this afternoon, Princess." Louis shot her a grin between ladling the batter on the prizzlle iron. "There will be krumkakes, too."

"Really?" Anna perked up, "Is that what you're making now?"

The chef hummed the affirmative.

"What's the occasion?"

"You mean to tell me you weren't at the breakfast table before you came here?"

"No? I just came straight here…"

His face contorted when his eyebrows merged between his eyes. "Have you eaten at all?"

Anna shrunk underneath his raised eyebrow, "…No?"

" _Sacrebleu_!" He threw his hand up in exasperation,"Anette! Come and continue pouring the batter on the pan, please."

A attendant scurried over to relieve the chef of his duty, shooting Anna a questioning look over her shoulder. The Princess just shrugged.

Louis walked to the pantry. "And here I thought you were fed, and happy, and ready for the day." he disappeared behind the doors, causing the attendant and Princess to giggle softly. Anna had to swallow her laughter at his mumbled French and loud searching. He re-emerged with a bread basket filled with three rolls, and cheese, and tomatoes, and all kinds of different things.

"What time is – _ten_!" He scowled at the clock and shook his head, "You need breakfast to make it through the day, Highness. Especially because yours had started much earlier than usual." With a sigh he looked at the redhead who sat by the table looking at him with a awkward grin. "I'm not mad at you, _mon petit carotte._ "

Anna nodded, already used to his mood swings. He was really passionate about food, she had learnt early on never to skip a meal. Not that she wpould of course, but still.

"Breakfast is just the most important meal of the day." He shrugged good-naturedly, returning his attention to the basket on the table. "That's what my _maman_ always said. Sandwich?"

Anna's stomach grumbled her response, causing her to blush and nod. "Yes please."

The chef smiled and resumed his whistling while he fashioned the most delicious sandwich. While she watched him work, Anna thought back on what he had said. He hadn't answered her question about what was happening at lunch.

"Hey Lu?"

"Hmm?"

"What's happening that…" she glanced at her lap, "...that merits krumkakes?"

"Oh," he turned around to retrieve a knife from a drawer. "There will be dignitaries form the Southern Isles here," chopping the tomatoes he added, "I thought you'd know about that."

"That's today?" Anna's face morphed form surprise into a kitten that's just received milk. "Great!"

Louis eyed her suspiciously, "What are you up to, Princess?"

"Nothing much." She swung her feet where she sat on the chair, propped her elbows on the table, and watched him with an excited smile. "Can I have two of those?"

"Only two?" he quirked an eyebrow at her, "I was going to make three."

"Well, I didn't want to sound…" she looked down at her lap, and fumbled around with a paper before she looked back at him, "Prisamtois. Wait...no it's..." she fixed her eyes on the paper in her lap. "p...pre-sum-TUous...right?"

"What do you have there?"

"Where?" her head shot up, eyes wide, she accidentally crumpled the paper in her fist. "What? I don't have anything."

He crossed his arms and stared her down with an amused expression etched in his features.

"I…" she sighed, bringing the ball of paper up from her lap to straighten it out. "I was trying to use 'big words' so that people could take me seriously…"

"People already take you seriously, _mon cher._ " He held out his hand towards her, "May I see?"

Silently, she handed the crinkled paper over and watched his face for his reaction. Would he be mad when he finds out that she wasn't planning on learning to French? Well, she might want to learn now, but that wasn't what she had been planning when she entered the kitchen.

Louis barked out a laugh and continued reading the words scribbled on the page with a wide grin.

"W-what?" she asked timidly.

"You weren't trying to speak French earlier, were you?" he looked up into her eyes and she knew he wasn't mad.

"No…But that's not to say I'm not interested _now_."

He nodded and handed her paper back to her. "So," he returned to finish making her sandwiches. "Are you planning on using those words at the meeting?"

"Yes…?"

"Are you unsure?"

"Well…it didn't really work when I tried it on you, so…"

He waved a hand dismissively, "That's because I'm not the right person to try it with. You should try Gerda. Or Kai." He nodded to himself, agreeing with his advice. "They will help when you mispronounce those words. I will just confuse you into thinking you're speaking French, no?"

"But it was fun to learn it; you're a great teacher Lu."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Highness." He grinned with a wink, pushing her three finished sandwiches towards her.

"Thanks." Anna took a big bite of her first sandwich, mulling over what Louis had suggested. Gerda might go full-on tutor if she got anything wrong…seeing as how the matron had been the two Princess' tutor when they were younger – before…whatever had happened, happened. The redhead shook herself from her depressed thoughts, swallowed, and took another bite.

Kai would be the best bet. He always did have a way of dealing with her that had never made her feel stupid. Even when she knew she was being stupid, like that one time she had stuffed herself full of chocolate on her thirteenth birthday. He had resoned that one only turns thirteen once, and thus must grab the opportunity to celebrate in any way you can. Her stomach hated her, but at least she didn't feel bad about overindulging anymore. Of course she'd have to speak with her parents first, to make sure that she'll be allowed to sit in with the dignitaries at lunch.

Anna nodded, her plan falling into place inside her head. This hasn't been a total waste of time, yet. She still had time to impress everyone. She could do this. She had to do this. For Elsa.

"Thanks Lu!" Anna hopped off the chair after she finished her two sandwiches.

"You're welcome, Princess." He turned and frowned at the last sandwich on the plate. "Aren't you–?"

"For the road." she grinned and grabbed the sandwich, before skipping out the kitchen.

The chef returned to making his krumkakes along side Annette, mentally counting down the seconds when he'd hear the inevitable–

 _Crash. "Sorry!_ So, sorry! I didn't see you there Kai. Wait, Kai, I need to speak with you, not right now but a bit later."

Louis smiled fondly. Never a dull moment with that one.

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 **There you have it :)** **Hope you enjoyed.**

 **Just a few translations, "mon petite carrote" means, "my little carrot". I used Google translate...so dunno how accurate it is. Anyway...lemme know what ya think :) Any pointers? Any** **inconsistencies** **? I** **miss spelt** **presumptuous on purpose cause I want to try and write phonetically... It's a struggle I'll tell ya that much."Mon cher" means "my dear". Jeeze, guys! There are SO many words with French core, it's just not funny.**

 **K, I'm done for now :)**

 **CONSTRUCTIVE crit welcome :)**


	3. Kai

**I don't own Frozen.**

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Anna skipped out of the kitchen in high spirits, ready to put her plan into action. As she bounced about, the sandwich she clutched in her hand started losing its contents. The redhead noticed the shift and frowned. She slowed her pace to a walk, stuffing the lettuce back between her slices of bread with each step she took.

With her head bent downwards in concentration, she didn't see Kai before she slammed straight into him and tripped over her feet. Hands flailing to stop herself falling, she knocked the tray he'd been carrying out of his hands and sent her sandwich flying through the air. The tray and its occupants, along with Anna, fell to the floor with a loud crash.

" _Sorry_! So, sorry!" she scurried to her feet, eyeing the broken pieces of what she assumed were teacups with a sheepish pull of her mouth. "I didn't see you there," she looked up, "Kai. Wait, Kai, I need to speak with you, not right now but a bit later."

The surprised Steward couldn't help a chuckle at her ramble, "Alright, your Highness."

The two of them knelt down to gather the pieces of what she now knew were teacups together.

"I really am sorry…" she said, putting the biggest chunks on the tray he had carried.

"I know." He answered kindly, brushing the smaller pieces together with his gloved hands. "Where were you off to in such a hurry?"

"To my parents." she shuffled away on all fours, picking the pieces up as she went. "You wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you?"

"In the King's study." he nudged the tray over towards her, "They're preparing for the Southern Isles dignitary to arrive just before lunch."

"Oh okay, great. Thanks."

He could feel her urgency to leave like it was rolling off her in waves. "Go on ahead, Princess. I'll go and get a broom for the rest."

"Are you sure?" Anna bit her lip, standing up along with the portly man.

"Yes." He watched her walk over to her discarded, scattered sandwich a few steps away. "I'll be in my office when you're done."

"Hmm?" she frowned at the state her food was in, making sure the tomato slices weren't _that_ dirty before she put them back inside the bread. "What was that?"

"You said you wanted to speak with me?" She hummed again, not taking her eyes off rebuilding her sandwich, he continued, "I'll be in my office. Come find me when you're done with the King and Queen, okay?"

"Oh, okay." She stood still, eyeing the cheese hanging out distractedly. "Yeah, I'll see you in a little while."

The Princess turned around with a half-hearted wave, still trying to salvage what's left of her sandwich. Kai shook his head fondly when she took a massive bite from the falling-apart-sandwich. How she manages to eat that thing without leaving a mess as she goes, is a mystery to the Steward. After taking care of the mess she _had_ left behind, Kai returned to his office as planned.

He strolled through the halls, smiling politely at any servants who would walk towards him. He'd ensure that they weren't overworked, or stressed in anyway before he'd continue on. As major-domo of castle Arendelle - with the bare minimum amount of staff under his command - he really had his work cut out for him.

He remembers, with a pang of longing, how the castle used to bustle with activity. The King and Queen had always enjoyed creating jobs for their people however they could; that included castle posts. Having been with the royal family since he was a boy, Kai had earned his title as Steward and royal advisor because of his loyal service to the previous King and Queen. After the accident with Elsa and her powers, the current King, Agnarr, had approached him with a heavy heart and an even heavier load on his parental shoulders. Kai had always been proud of how well his King could manage the weight of his crown, but that night – that night the King had almost been crushed under the weight of being a father.

And so, Kai had been given the responsibility of lessening the load on his monarchs as much as possible. A responsibility he and his wife, Gerda, took very seriously, for they had always been close to the royals. They ensured that the remaining staff were happy, while those who were let go were given new job opportunities. It had been a shock to the efficient system that had kept the castle running, but they had adapted pretty quickly. They had to in order to keep the Princess' icy secret.

The Steward entered his office in the servant's quarters and walked to the window behind his desk. He opened it and breathed the fresh Spring air in to clear his head. A crisp sea-breeze danced past him to spur the neat stacks of paper on his desk to dance along to Nature's tune. Kai pivoted around and smacked his hand on the pile to keep the papers from flying around. With a weary sigh, he sat down and placed a cold-to-the-touch paperweight on the heap of payslips he had to sign.

At least he only has one heap to sign and not five like he had in the past. But, to be quite honest, he'd sign five piles of papers again any day…

 _Hopefully,_ he thought, eyes roving over the papers on his desk, _One day, I'll be able to_. _One day,_ someday _in the future_.

A lively knock interrupted his wishful thoughts. He smiled and looked up to see the Princess standing at the door.

"Come in, your Highness." He gestured to a seat before his table in a silent invitation.

Anna walked in and swept her gaze over the place as she made her way to the chair. The right side of the small, but cosy room was dominated by a wall to wall bookcase filled with what seemed to be folders instead of books. Kai sat behind a modestly sized desk, decorated with a pile of papers with a glass paperweight on top of it. Various trinkets filled the desk or wall behind him of things he had picked up during his lifetime. A stained glass lantern that was used more for decoration than anything else, sat nestled in the corner sporting a stylized crocus. To her left was a small hearth to warm the cold Winter months and above it hung the first ever portrait of the royal family. Anna let her eyes linger on the small girl with platinum hair for a moment before she turned her attention to the man she came to see.

She sat down. "Hey Ka – whoa! Is there a _snowflake_ in there?!"

The Steward felt his breath hitch when Anna reached out to pick the paperweight up. He was so used to it by now that he barely registered the finer detail unless he studied it deliberately. He deduced that Anna must be at the proper height to see the nearly invisible snowflake imbedded inside the half sphere.

"Ah!" she clutched the paperweight to her chest, forcing herself not to play hot-potato with it. "It's so cold – !"

"Careful, Highness," Kai took what he considered as his most prized possession from her fumbling hands as gently as he could, "It's really precious to me and quite…fragile." He frowned at his white lie. The truth of the matter is that he was pretty sure the paperweight was indestructible. He had yet to see one of Elsa's creations dissolve.

 _I'm pretty sure the King's snowflake pendant won't melt. How can I lie to her so easily…? Can't I just –_

"I'm sorry…I really need to work on my curiosity…" Anna said with a sheepish smile, mistaking his guilty frown for an angrier one.

Kai looked up and smiled gently, frown dissolving but his guilt remained like a rock embedded in his stomach. "That's alright, Princess. I remember when I first got it; I couldn't stop staring or keep my hands off of it."

"Where'd you get it?" Teal eyes watched with fascination as he lowered it back onto the stack, the light fractured into rainbows as it passed through the sculpted half sphere.

He hesitated the slightest before answering, "It was a gift form…someone dear to me." Not a completely, but not the whole truth either. _It would have to do for now._

"Did they make it themself?"

"Yes."

"It's beautiful…"

"Indeed…" he cleared his throat and forced a smile on his face, taking his attention away from the eldest in her room to look at the youngest before him. "What can I help you with?"

"Uhm," she shook her head, pulling her eyes from the snowflake with difficulty. "I wanna run a few things by you."

"Oh?" gloved fingers steepled themselves on top of his desk.

"Yeah. You've been here a while and know some stuff." He smiled in response as she bubbled onward, voicing her every thought. "And I bet you know as much about royal business as Papa and Mama do. There's a dignitary coming today, which, of course you already know about, heh and I'm gonna sit in with them at lunch. I wanted to be with them during their meeting too, but Mama said that won't be possible, I don't know why, but she said I could have lunch with them. So, I'm gonna have lunch with them and I need your help."

She regarded him with her brows scrunched, and hope in her eyes as she awaited his answer.

"What exactly do you need help with, Highness?"

"Oh, uhm…" she stood up and dug around in one of her dress' pockets. "Boy, am I happy I thought about adding pockets in these things." A smirked appeared when she sat back down with a folded piece of paper in her hands. "Remember when I used to rip my dress' skirt 'cause I used it like a basket to carry alllll sorts of things? Heh, Gerda sure does."

He chuckled at her Cheshire grin, recalling his wife's many laments about the littlest Princess' adventures through the castle's garden. "Oh, yes I do and Gerda won't ever forget about it either."

The two of them shared a laugh at the numerous times Kai had to save the redhead from the wrath of his wife. He can still recall how easily Anna could wrap him around her little pinkie with a single Look.

"Anyway, you were saying?"

"Heh, yeah," Anna smiled up at him with apparent confusion as she tried to remember what she was busy with before she got distracted. "I was saying…something – _oh_! Right. The thing…" she took a deep breath, holding out the folded piece of paper towards him with the most serious face he had ever seen her wear. "I need your help."

Kai took the parchment from her outstretched hand and began to open it as she talked.

"I was reading the dictionary the other day –"

"The _dictionary_ , Highness?" he paused in unfolding to regard her with an eyebrow that was clearly raised in amusement.

"Yeah, _that's_ how bored I was. Anyway, I saw that Elsa" Kai stiffened in the slightest, "had been busy in the library before I was there…"

He relaxed with an internal sigh and decided to listen to her explanation. Basically, the Princess wanted him to help her use the specific words on the paper to sound more mature in the hopes that she would be able to help the future Queen with her studies.

"So that I can be my sister's right hand woman, ya know?"

Kai smiled as she talked about her plan to impress everyone, but his heart was weeping for her. Oh, how he wished he could just explain everything to her; could just reunite the two sisters who were inseparable since Anna's birth.

 _Can't I just…?_

The night of the accident had been one of the worst days of his life. He and Gerda had been woken by the Queen in barley constrained panic. She had enough time to tell them that there had been an accident and that they were to watch over the castle for a while before she, the King, and Princesses left the castle on horseback. Luckily it had been the dead of the night, so the rest of the castle staff were none the wiser in regards to the royals' sudden departure and return. Kai and Gerda stayed awake in anxious anticipation for their return and the explanation that would follow after. The explanation that they received, however, broke their hearts. They had to follow the King and Queen's decision to separate the sisters, reduce the staff, and close the gates.

 _Wouldn't it be better if…?_

He could feel his eyes start to burn at Anna's innocent assumption: "Elsa's just too busy and too old now, so I really need to up my game if we're ever gonna be together again."

The pressure behind his eyes became too much, he sniffed and wiped them.

"Kai…?" he could hear the concern for him in her tiny voice. He had to force the lump in his throat down in order to speak properly.

"I'm alright, Princess." He sniffed again and forced a believable chuckle. "Allergies."

"Oh, okay." She brightened from her worries immediately, "maybe you should close the window then?"

"Perhaps…" _but there are already too many things closed in this place._ "I'll be fine. It's too beautiful a day to keep the windows closed."

"Do you need a handkerchief or something?"

"I've got one, thank you." He opened a drawer, took out his spare kerchief and blew his nose. "Forgive me, Highness, you were saying?"

"Oh," she sat up, fiddling with one of her braids, "I was finished."

"Alright," he smiled warmly, choosing to focus on what he could do to help her. "So let me see if I understand this properly…"

The rest of the time before lunch was spent with the two of them having 'grown-up' conversations. They practised talking about the little things nobility oft discussed during lunch. Anna learnt that even though the setting would be more personal when compared to a formal meeting, formality would still be key.

"Do I _reeaally_ have to etiquette myself at the table?" she whined, throwing her head back to emphasise how much she _didn't_ want to do that.

"Unfortunately," he smiled in sympathy, "but I promise you that you won't regret it, Highness. I'll even bet that Chef Louis will have some extra _krumkake_ for you to feast on afterwards as a reward."

"Kai," her head snapped back down with a frown, "I'm thirteen years old. I don't need rewards when I do something good like I used to get when I was younger."

"I am well aware of your age, Highness. I have been watching you grow into a beautiful young lady for a while now, you know." he quipped causing her frown to dissolve into a blush. "I'm not saying that to belittle you –"

"Wait, what does that word mean?"

"Belittle, Highness?" he asked, keeping pace with her thought patterns with experienced ease. He's had thirteen year practice, after all.

"Yeah. Does it mean that you…uh," she grasped at the air as if she could snatch the meaning from the air, "Uhm, that you insult someone?"

"In a way yes," he looked up trying to recall the definition himself, "It's like…when you think someone is unimportant or –"

"Oh!" she bounced in her seat like an exciteble pup. "Like you think they're _little_ , right? Be- _little_?"

"Exactly." His smile was proud. "See Princess, you're already grasping this quickly."

She giggled in response, feeling more than ready to prove herself at lunch. _I should've come to Kai from the beginning._

"Where were we? Oh, right. The rewards…" he cleared his throat. "I was merely referring to the fact that there will be something you would be able to reward yourself with, if you so choose to do it." She raise an eyebrow, looking unconvinced. He had to amp it up a notch. "It just so happens that I would reward myself when I know I've done a good job or had a difficult day."

Anna cocked her head. "Really?"

"Really." He smiled, knowing what he has to say next, will convince her. "it's a very 'grown-up' thing to do, because _you_ decide to reward _yourself_. Not someone else."

"Oh," she nodded slowly, mulling the idea over. "Okay, great!"

Out of habit, Kai glanced at the grandfather clock right next to the door across from him.

"I think it's time for us to ready ourselves for the dignitaries arrival." He stood and motioned to the clock. Anna stood along with him and turned her head to look at what he gestured at. Her eyes widened when she realised she only had half an hour left before lunch.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." She shot him a quick, excited smile. "Thanks Kai!"

He smiled as he watched her sprint from the room, it faltered when he was alone. "You're welcome, Anna." He murmured to the empty room.

With a sigh, his smile vanished. Kai picked the ice paperweight off of his pile of papers and stood a small while, staring out of the window at the garden beyond. His gloved thumb rubbed small circles on the smooth surface as he thought.

 _One day._ _One day they will be together again._

He nodded as if to seal the thought in reality, placed the sculpture back on his pile, and left the room to continue to serve the royal family with everything that he had.

* * *

 **So, I read on a wiki that Anna is super easily distracted. Sorry if I over did it a bit, but I had lots of fun writing this. I love that aspect of her, makes her more relatable...'cause I definitely do NOT have attention** **deficit in any shape or form. Nope.**

 **It was also quite interesting for me to think about Kai some more. He's kindof like a side character, but I've got this idea that he and Gerda are quite close to the royals. Might've made it a bit sad, but eh (shrugs unapologetically) ces't la vie.**

 **Lemme know what ya think :) Any improvements? I wana learn peeps, teach me.**


	4. Elsa

**ho-LY CRAp. This took forever. Life interfered and then my Muse decided to flit away to Gwatamala. ANyway, here's the next chapter :)**

 **I don't own Frozen.**

* * *

"Okay, Anna. You got this. You've practised with Lu _and_ Kai. You know the words on the paper off by heart now. You're all dressed up and everything."

The redhead glanced down at her semi-formal dark green dress, running her hands over the crocus embroidery stitched on the black bodice hugging her upper body. She strode alone down the hall towards the dining room with a purpose she had seen her father exude frequently.

"Your hair's done up, too!" he hand ghosted over the bun she had insisted Gerda braid on the back of her head. "You _so_ got this."

Anna couldn't help the confident bounce that entered her stride down the hall. Her lips pulled upwards, arms swaying; toes curling inside her shoes excitedly – oh, Anna was more than ready for this. She had to be. In the teens' mind, her whole life depended on this one luncheon. If she succeeded in impressing her mother and father, the door would be wide open for her to propose her brilliant idea: being Elsa's right-hand woman.

If she succeeded, her parents wouldn't be able to refuse her. If she succeeded, she would've proven that she's mature enough to be responsible. If she succeeded, she would start to feel like a princess for the first time in her life and not some immature child. If she succeeded, she'll be able to get her sister back. That last 'if' hung heavy on the redhead's shoulders.

Anna set her face, determined to change all those 'if's' into 'when'. _I can do this._

The dining hall came into view. The double doors were closed, but she didn't have to look inside to know that her parents and the dignitary were already inside. She had planned it this way.

"Arrive fashionably late," Anna glanced down at her attire once more, smoothing the skirt unnecessarily. "Check."

She stopped before the doors and took a deep, steadying breath, staring at the grains in the wood. It didn't just feel like butterflies fluttering around in her stomach, it felt like they were fighting each other to _escape_ her stomach. A gusty exhale stilled her nerves somewhat.

"I can do this." she proclaimed, putting a surprisingly steady hand on the handle and pushed it open.

* * *

Elsa had mastered the art of keeping herself busy. Since that fateful day seven years ago, she had had ample time to practise with various forms of distraction.

She could continue with the assignment her father had given her about Arendelle's history in politics...or not. She had left her assignment in the library two days ago, the last time she had been there. Elsa had been under the impression that Anna would be busy at the stables or outside the whole day, so she had risked sneaking down to the library for a change of scenery. But then her sister showed up, and she had to flee before they came in contact with each other… Being spooked by her near encounter with her sister, she had decided to leave it there for a few days until her nerves calmed down a little bit. She could paint, perhaps. Or read. She could even try and design a blueprint of a palace made entirely of geometric shapes. That had to be her favourite distraction by far; she could lose herself for hours in the meticulous measurements and calculations.

The blonde turned her head away from the view outside of her window to regard her desk. It was tempting. She could already imagine how time would fly away from her until dinner that evening, but she just couldn't get herself to move from her perch on her window seat. With a sigh she turned her head back to stare at the bustling town on the outside of her walls.

The truth of the matter was that Elsa was worried. For a whole two days Anna hadn't knocked on her door, not even once in passing. Heck, she hadn't even passed her door since two days ago. The eldest knew that this shouldn't bother her as much as it did. If Anna wasn't knocking, that meant that she was safe, away from her. But Elsa had come to rely on her sister's visits and one sided rambling. It was a way for her to know what was happening in her sister's life without really exposing her to the danger that being a part of it could bring. Anna always – always – came after dinner and regaled her on everything that had happened that day and everything her little sister was up to. That was Elsa's most treasured part of her day.

But now…with Anna doing heaven knows what, the blonde was left alone. Loneliness had crept up in the fringes of her subconscious like a wolf, ready to swallow her whole if she so much as acknowledged its presence. Sure her parents had visited her during the past two days, but with the preparations for the Southern Isles dignitary, they had been too busy to visit for longer than a quick "hello, how are you."

 _It's better this way._ She thought, stroking Sir Jorgenbjorgen's orange hair between her gloved fingers. She did know that it was better this way, but that didn't mean she was happy about it.

A sudden stomping outside her door a little ways down the hall made Elsa sit up in her seat. Her hands holding her doll stilled as she listened. Someone was definitely stomping down the hall angrily. But it wasn't just any somebody. There was only one person whose footsteps where as dramatic as their facial expressions.

Elsa couldn't help the smile that softened her lips. Something must've angered her little sister, making her stomp down the hall like an irritable elephant on her way to her room.

The foot stomps grew louder as she neared Elsa's door. They hesitated the slightest before they continued on their way, softer this time. The blonde had to curb her disappointment when Anna's footsteps faded away around the bend. Before she could fall into brooding the afternoon away, soft pat-pat steps could be heard returning to her door.

Elsa swung her feet down from the seat, placing them on the floor as she stared at the door, trying to imagine what her sister was doing.

 _Knock-knock knockknock knock._

"Elsa? It's me, Anna."

 _I know. I always know it's you._ Elsa ran her thumb over the big blue button on her doll, waiting for her sister to continue. Anna sounded frustrated. She really hoped her sister wouldn't demand to be let into her room like she had done a few times in the past.

"So…" she heard Anna say, "I kinda realised that I haven't visited you for a while now. Sorry 'bout that, it's just that I've been busy."

"It's okay." Elsa said softly. Having craved listening and –dare she admit it – speaking to her sister something fierce, she couldn't help but answer quietly to create the illusion or normalcy. "What were you up to?"

"Boy, have I got a story for you." Elsa got up from her seat, longing to be as close as she physically could. She stood before her door and leaned her shoulder against the frame, gazing at the white paint covering the wood. "I'm listening."

"So I dunno if you know 'bout this," Anna began. "but I kinda saw your politics assignment the other day."

Elsa stiffened, clutching Sir Jorgenbjorgen in her hands. _Please say you didn't –_

"I didn't mess with it or anything, I just _looked_. You're really good with words, Els." Was that a smile Elsa heard in her sister's voice? The blonde relaxed again, tilting her head in interest. "Anyway, I was curious about a word you used…uhm, I can't remember it now, but I do remember that it fit in perfectly with what you were saying. Something 'bout coal or…"

"Coalition." Elsa said under her breath.

There was a pause, where Elsa assumed Anna was trying to remember the word. The pause lasted longer than it should have, making the blonde shift to an upright position. _Did she leave_?

"Uh…something like that." Elsa frowned at the timidity in her sister's voice. _What just happened?_

"Uh, so…what was I saying? Oh, right, the word….coalasion or whatever."

"Coalition." Elsa repeated with a fond smile and returned to her relaxed pose once again.

"…I, uh I had to look it up to see what it meant and then I realised how cool some of the words in the dictionary were." She heard Anna shift, probably leaning against the frame like she was or rocking on her heels like she always does. "So I…decided to, uh, learn some big words. I had this perfect plan to impress Mama and Papa at the lunch with the dignitary today, but it kinda blew up in my face."

Elsa tipped her head, the question burning her throat in its urgency to be asked. _Why were you trying to impress Mama and Papa?_

"Remember that one time we were allowed to attend the Spring Ball?"

A memory pulled her lips into a smile, Elsa nodded.

"That was the best day ever. I remember the men in their suits and the ladies all dressed up in colourful gowns and the food. Oh, the food…hmmm. Anyway. There was this one old guy that looked like a walrus, remember? With _the_ bushiest moustache I've ever seen, and a belly that'll give Kai a run for his money."

Elsa caught the giggle that escaped her lips with a gloved hand, muffling the noise. Another pause ensued before her sister spoke again.

"…He's the same one that was here for lunch and whatnot. Soooo, remember when I said I had a plan? Well, my plan was to use some big words in my everyday conversations. It was perfect. I even practised with Louis and then Kai afterwards, which reminds me, I'm gonna learn French." Anna giggled, "There really are a lot of words we use that are actually French. It's quite interesting…you're not busy or anything, right? 'Cause I need to tell you what happened with Louis first before I continue."

Without the sisters knowing it, they leaned back against the door dividing them and slid down into a sitting position. Elsa couldn't help the smile she wore as Anna told the story of the confusion with Louis the previous day. She could imagine Anna gesturing as she spoke as vividly as if she were sitting before her. Elsa had to bite her lips a few times to keep from laughing at her sister's mispronunciation of _beure_.

"I mean really." Anna said with a scoff, "Why not just say butter? _Be-eur_ sounds like someone speaking with their mouth full of food, doesn't it?"

"You probably want your mouth full of chocolate more than with French words." Elsa quipped with a soft giggle.

A pause ensued that made Elsa grow concerned. Had she spoken too loudly? Had her sister heard her? Her magic started to hum, harmonising with her anxiety in sostenuto.

Anna sighed loudly behind the door and said, "Where was I again?"

Elsa had to resist the urge to respond to her sister's question. It was obvious that Anna was testing her, seeing if Elsa would strike up a conversation like she longed to do. She could feel the weight of her longing to speak as if it was a physical force, she could feel Anna's hope through the door. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing to speak with her? The door won't be opened. She knows that she can't do that, but she could just talk, right?

Elsa cleared her throat as gently as she could. The very air seemed to hold its breath. Her magic paused, waiting. "You-you said something about a lunch?"

The silence that settled in after she spoke out loud was deafening, or was that just the adrenaline fuelled blood rush Elsa was experiencing?

She had to break the silence or she'd be the one that broke. "And using big words in your conversations?"

* * *

Anna sat wide eyed, staring at the red curtain across the hall from where she sat against her sister's door. Had she heard correctly? Had Elsa really spoken to her in…Thor knows how long?

On purpose?

Sure, Anna had heard her sister's correction of the coal word, but she had to force herself not to make a scene. If she had reacted to that slip, she wouldn't've been able to get as far as she was now. Elsa was actually talking to her! And giggling, and responding. Anna had to focus now. She had to play this right. She couldn't lose the headway she was making with her sister. Who knows exactly when she'd be able to get this opportunity again?

 _I mean it's been seven years…this is the first time she –_

"Anna? A-are you still there?"

"Huh?" she blinked, coming out of her trance. "What? Oh. Yeah. I'm-I'm still here."

The redhead leaned her head back against the door, reminding herself of the reality of their separation, allowing her cursed optimism to simmer down a little bit.

 _This is nice. It's nice to hear your voice Elsa._ "I'm here…" Anna breathed, "Where did you say I was?"

There was a slight pause where Anna couldn't even imagine what her sister was doing. "Using your big words during the lunch."

"Oh, right." The redhead grimaced, "It failed…royally."

Elsa snorted, "Did you really just make a pun?"

"Did you really just snort?" Anna grinned and turned her head to the side as if to see her sister's reaction. She frowned when all she saw was a white door with the stylised snowflake painted on it.

"How did it fail exactly?"

"Well," Anna sat up, pushing the door from her thoughts; she focussed on her sister's voice instead. "I asked Gerda to help me prepare…"

* * *

Elsa sat against her door, leaning her head back to rest against the piece of wood. With her eyes closed, she focussed solely on what Anna said, drinking in as much as she could. Anna told her about the difficulty she faced when she had to pick out her dress, the trouble Gerda had getting her hair into the bun, and complained about the fact that the shoes she wore had a slight heel in them.

"Honestly, I don't see how I'd ever wear heals." Anna growled. There was a scuffle behind the door followed by a grunt and a soft thump as Anna threw a shoe away from her. "These things are –"

"The bane of your existence?" Elsa offered, glancing at her hands holding onto Sir Jorgenbjorgen loosely.

"The what?"

"Bane." Elsa sat up and crossed her legs, fidgeting with the doll in her lap. "a source of harm or ruin."

"D-do you have a dictionary in there with you or something?"

"No, why?"

"You mean to tell me you know the meaning of words like that _in your head_?"

"Yes?"

"Oh, wow." Anna nodded, impressed. "I mean it does make sense. I memorised a whole page full of words and their meanings for this lunch thing so I guess it's not really all that strange that you'd know way more words than me." Elsa smiled and stopped fidgeting as Anna continued to sepak. "As I was saying, I arrived at the formal dining hall and opened the door."

The eldest closed her eyes and imagined walking into the hall next to her sister. The tall windows to their left would flood the room with afternoon light. The table was made up for a formal dinner. Cutlery, wine glasses, with flowers as the centre piece, all arraigned with care. Mama wouldn't be wearing her crown, but her hair would be done up in a bun, her dress would be elegant but not flashy. Papa would be standing next to her, wearing his formal suit decorated with his numerous medallions. He wouldn't be wearing his crown either, but both of them would exude their royal status as if they were just crowned.

"Mama, Papa, and the Walrus stood by the windows –" Anna grinned when she heard her sister chuckle, "He looks even more like a walrus now than before with the extra weight he had put on. Anyway, I walked up to them all regal-like, you know, how Mama walks, and said:" she cleared her throat and said with as much poise as she could muster, "Salutations."

"Salutations?" Elsa opened her eyes only to roll them, amused.

"Yeah, it means 'hello' but in fancy speak."

"I know what it means you goof, that's just a very archaic way of greeting someone."

"I'm guessing 'archaic' means old?"

"Yup."

"Huh, I need to remember that one." Anna bit her lip and wondered if she could ask this of her sister without scaring her off. But they were doing fine so far, maybe, just maybe Elsa could do this for her. "Hey, Els?"

"…Yes?" Elsa shifted against the door, clutching Jorgenbjorgen in her gloved hands.

"C-could I borrow a piece of paper? And a pencil?" Anna fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. "I'm not gonna remember that word if I don't write it down."

"Oh. Okay. Sure. Just…hold on one sec."

Wait, that actually worked? The redhead smiled in relief when she heard her sister stand up and move away from the door. She shifted, twisting her body around to lean her ear against the door. There was a muffled thump followed by footsteps returning to the door. Anna perked up and couldn't keep the grin from splitting her face when a piece of parchment and a pencil was slid underneath the door.

"Did you get it?"

"Yeah," Anna's grin grew in size when she heard Elsa slip down the door to sit again, "thanks. Thank you. How d'you spell it?" she took up the paper, pencil hovering over it uncertainly. "A-R-C…arc…A-R-C-A-I-C?"

"There's an 'H' in there too." Elsa offered helpfully, smiling as she did so.

"Oh, okay, great." She wrote the word as she spelled it out loud. "A-R-C-H, there right?"

"Right"

"A-I-C. Archaic. And it means old, right?"

"Yes." Elsa smiled, leaning her head back against the door. Why hadn't she thought of doing this earlier? There's no real harm in speaking with Anna every now and again. Maybe she could do this more often. "How'd you even find that word?"

"Huh?" Anna inclined her ear towards the door as she writote the definition down.

"Salutations." The blonde turned her head, "How'd you find it?"

"Oh," she folded the paper up and moved to stuff it in her dress pocket only to come up short at the lack of pockets. "I read the dictionary." She turned the folded paper in her hands idly, needing something to do with her hands.

Anna had said it with such absurd nonchalance Elsa couldn't help but giggle at her sister's antics. "No really."

"I'm serious." Anna smiled, thoroughly enjoying hearing her sister's light-hearted laughter. _That's the_ second _time she's giggled_! "Anyway, I walked in and said 'salutations'. You should've seen their faces, Elsa." She snorted, recalling the confusion and suspicion on her parents expressions. "Papa was confused but he and the Walrus smiled pleasantly, no wait, _amicably_." Anna pulled herself up with pride at using the word properly, "They smiled amicably, but _Mama_. Heh, Mama knew I was up to something."

"Lemme guess." Elsa mimed deep thought, tapping her chin with a finger playfully, but stopped as soon as she knew Anna couldn't see her. "Mama immediately narrowed her eyes."

"Into slits so small I'm surprised she could see anything!"

The sisters shared a laugh, knowing full well how their mother had always known when they were being naughty in their younger years. The years where they had shared more than just a room, they practically shared a heart. Their happiness died down with a longing ache for when days were simpler, when they were together.

Elsa cleared her throat, willing the lump lodged there to go down. "And then what happened?"

"Well," Anna forced a giggle to keep the light mood, "I curtsied to our parents and then to the Walrus who was introduced as," she adopted a noble air with a slightly deeper voice, "Sir William of the Southern Isles."

"William the Walrus." Elsa grinned, shaking her head.

"I know right!" Anna barked out a laugh at the obvious smile and amusement in Elsa's voice, "I had trouble keeping my face straight."

"And then?"

"Well," the redhead shifted to get more comfortable, not minding that her bum was starting to go numb on he had floor. "we exchanged small talk." In as deep a voice as she could manage, she said, " 'Lovely weather you have here.' Willy said," her voice was still low but not as much, " 'The finest this time of year,' Papa answered. And so on. Eventually we made it to the table to eat – _Ugh_."

"What is it?" Elsa sat up, suddenly worried that they had been found out by a maid, or worse…their father.

"I _hate_ table etiquette."

Elsa sagged in relief. She knew her father wouldn't approve, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She knew the risks that were involved, but – besides that warning hum earlier – her powers hadn't voiced their displeasure since then. So no harm done, right?

"Why. _Whhyyyyyy_ are there seven pieces of cutlery?" her sister wined, irritation growling out her words. "Why not just have _one_ of each and use it throughout the whole thing? I mean, really. " Anna scowled at the shoes she had hurled across the hall. "I felt so fake sitting there. We never eat with that many spoons when it's just the three of us."

The blonde closed her eyes against the pain splitting her heart in two. Just the three of us. _When's the last time we had a family meal together? Could it really be seven years ago?_ The pleasant Summer temperature around her started to trickle away like water through a poorly constructed dam.

"I'm sure you know _all_ about the irritations of using the spoon the furthest away from you and working yourself inward." Anna babbled, unaware of the building magic in her sister's mournful form. "You also had to sit through hours of lessons with Madame Morrible and her incessant 'back straight, Deary' " Anna pitched her voice high enough to sound pompous and conceited. " 'Sip don't slurp' and all that nonsense." She scoffed, "It's a wonder I actually remember everything she taught me, maybe it's because she looked like such a fish when she spoke, I couldn't help but concentrate on what she was saying. Heh."

Elsa clutched her knees to her chest, fighting the sorrow, the nostalgia, the _longing_ to be with her family again. Her whole family. If only she had never been born with her magic – with her curse. It was starting to feel more and more like a curse with each passing day. Her magic hummed inside of her, ready to act as soon as a weakness presents itself. It seemed a change had come into the very air Anna breathed. The redhead frowned in confusion but shrugged it off. In the peculiar silence, Anna realised that her sister hadn't said a word since she had rambled on about etiquette and her innate dislike of it. Before she could voice the question of Elsa still being there, a pleasantly cold breeze cooled the warm afternoon air around her.

"Hmm…that's a nice cold breeze. It's been so hot lately…it's nice to cool down a bit, ya know what I mean?"

Anna's carefree voice snapped Elsa back to the present with such force she jerked her head up from her knees. Her room was still normal, thank the gods! but now Elsa became aware of the cold ebbing out from her in quickening heart beats. She had to get Anna away from her! She isn't safe. But she can't hurt her sister again. They've had such a – dear she say it? – a wonderful time without any incident. She couldn't ruin it now.

"A-Anna." Elsa sucked in a breath, forcing her heart rate to slow down, "I'm sorry, but I need to…I can't talk with you anymore."

"Oh…"

"Not today at least." She added quickly when she heard her sister's dejected tone. "I just…I can't –"

"It-It's okay, Elsa." Anna squished her disappointment as she stood up from her seat. "You don't need to explain…" _actually, I'd_ LOVE _an explanation, but I can hear something's wrong._ "I'll…come back tomorrow?"

The pause that followed threatened to widen the cracks that had formed in her heart when Elsa practically told her to go away. At least she did it nicely this time, and not bluntly saying 'go away' like she had done plenty of times before. Anna bit her lip and grabbed her elbow to steady herself, looking at the door with heavy eyes.

"I'd like that very much." Came Elsa's reply through the wood.

Anna allowed herself a small smile. "See you tomorrow, then." She turned to leave, shoulders sagging. "I love you."

"I love you too." Elsa said when she knew her sister was out of ear shot. She rested her head back against the door, counting her breaths until they evened her magic out again. "So, _so_ much."

* * *

 **Yeh, heh, so if you'd like, drop a review and tell me what ya think. If there's anything you think I should improve on, lemme know. I'm all ears :)**

 **Hopefully the next chapter will explain what had happened during lunch, this chapter just ran away from me before I could get to what the Walrus had done to upset Anna :3**


	5. Anna

**Soooooo...this took way longer than expected (grins sheepishly) sorry! But it's here now :3 lemme know what ya think.**

* * *

The next day Anna was up way before her internal clock chimed the noon hour- _again_. The previous day's events had followed her straight through the rest of the day, into her dreams that night, and on until it made her restless enough to wake up and start her day.

Elsa had spoken to her.

They had participated in an actual two-way conversation for the first time in forever! Anna smiled while she shrugged into her green summer dress, recalling her sister's muffled giggles. Finally dressed, she combed her fingers through her messed bedhead, trying to free the nest of knots before she tamed them with her brush. She strolled towards her vanity thinking through everything that had happened.

"What spooked her, you think?" Anna asked her reflection, frowning a little bit. Her fingers worked at a particularly stubborn knot. "I can't come up with a single thing that I could've said wrong." The redhead pursed her lips in thought and concentration. "I didn't even get to tell her what happened at lunch."

She watched her fingers twist and turn and tug at the knots until her hair flowed from her head like a waterfall caught in a fiery sunset.

"She's such a stinker." Anna rolled her eyes at the enigma that is her sister and picked up her brush. She worked quickly, combing through her hair a few times before braiding it in her usual pigtails. Thus ready for the day, she skipped down the hall towards the kitchen, already looking forward to whatever Louis had cooked up. Energy coursed through her at that thought.

She sprinted down the hall and slid the remaining way towards the stairs, her pigtails streamed behind her like twin banners while her face beamed with the rush. She brought herself to a graceful stop and leaned over the banister to peer towards the bottom of the stairs; checking to see if it was clear.

It was.

No servants coming or going and none at the end which she could see. Anna grinned and jumped up to sit on the polished wood, gripping the handrail behind her. A deep breath steadied her hammering heart. She couldn't help but remember the nasty tumbles she had experienced in the past. One time Anna thought she had mastered the banister slide and whooped for joy. But, as any sane person knows, a whoop of victory _needed_ a double fist pump to be real. So Anna had done just that and lost her balance. The cold fear that had shotthrough her had stolen her ability to breathe when she tipped backwards. Luckily she had swung her foot down towards the stairs in order to balance herself out. That in turn had caused her to hook her foot into the decorative posts and everything went downhill from there.

"More like down stairs…" Anna thought with a grimace, recalling the painful thumps to her head and her broken ankle when she fell down the stairs. "Okay, Anna." She narrowed her eyes in concentration while she chewed her lip in worry. "You know you can do this. Just don't victory fist pump until you reach the end, got it?"

"Got it." She gave a firm nod and let go.

At first she thought she'd never pick up speed. She slid down at a snail's pace until her dress put up less resistance, then she practically flew down the banister. Down and down she went; twisting to keep her balance as the staircase wound downwards still. Heart basically beating itself out of her chest, she grinned as wide as she could, enjoying the adrenaline rush. The end came all too soon for the redhead. She slowed her descent with a hand behind her on the banister and jumped the remaining distance. When she landed, she stumbled a little bit, but didn't fall.

A breathless laugh escaped her smiling mouth; she threw her fisted hands in the air. "And she _sticks_ the landing! Ha _ha_!"

"My, my, my." A pompous voice said somewhere next to her.

Anna started and turned her head down the hall to her left where she heard the voice coming from. Her mother, father and the Walrus stood with varying expressions of surprise. The King and Queen raised their eyebrows at the stunt she had pulled, but chose not to comment on it. Not now at least – those eyebrows said. The Walrus stood with a smirk that made Anna clench her teeth in irritation.

"That was quite a show, _Princess_." His voice dripped with what Anna assumed meant to be interpreted as being impressed. It sounded more like he was mocking her, especially if she recalled yesterday's lunch properly.

 _You're such a – bad word that I can't think of right now. But believe me buster,_ Anna thought, feeling her temper flare. _If I knew bad words and my parents weren't here, you'd be getting an earful._ She shook herself mentally and schooled her features to resemble a calm she was far from feeling.

"Yes, well," she strode past them with her head held high, "I am a very _culpable_ woman, you see."

The dignitary chuckled, the sound grated on her nerves. "That you are." He said so only she could hear.

"I think you mean _capable_ , dear." Queen Iduna corrected gently. Anna turned and bit her lip, realising her mistake. Culpable meant guilty. _Wayta go, Anna._

"Indeed, we could see just how _capable_ you are." King Agnarr glanced at the stairs but smiled when he returned his attention to his daughter, "We're off to continue with our negotiations, Solskinn. We'll be in the study until lunch, alright?"

"Very well," she inclined her head to each of them, "Father, mother, Wal – ahem, _sir._ William. Good day."

The King and Queen shared a look before Iduna made her way to her daughter. She embraced Anna, pulled her close and planted a kiss on top of her head.

"Don't mind him, darling. We're very proud of how well you handled yourself." She whispered, causing Anna to nod against her chest with a smile. "Be good."

"Always." Anna quipped when they separated. "See you later."

She caught her father's smiling eyes before she turned around and walked away without acknowledging the Walrus and his stupid, smug face.

* * *

Elsa sighed into her cup of tea and watched Gerda leave her room with her empty breakfast plate. The matron gave her one last parting smile before the door closed with a soft click. Her room plunged into silence that was only broken by Elsa's even breathing.

 _Okay,_ she thought, her gaze swept from her door over her room towards her desk. _I'll continue with my assignment as soon as I've finished my tea._ She took a long sip and leaned back against the wall to stare out of her window.

 _Anna's probably still asleep. Maybe I should go to the library – oh right, I need to go there anyway. I wonder if the assignment is still there; I'm actually surprised Papa hasn't asked about it yet._ A frown pulled her brow down. _He's probably busy with that dignitary. I really hope he can convince him that I don't plan on m–_

 _Knock knock knockknock knock._ "Elsa?"

The blonde jerked her head away from the window to stare at the door in surprise.

"Anna?" She whispered with a glance at her grandfather clock.

"Are you awake yet? I hope I didn't wake you, if I did, I'll just come back later."

"I'm awake." _It is 10 o'clock after all,_ the blonde thought as she stood up from her window seat and made her way to the door.

"Great! Hey, how're you doin'?"

"I'm fine, thank you." She stood before the door and looked at it with mild concern. "How are _you_? Is everything alright?"

Anna grinned, bouncing on her toes. "Ye-no I'm fine. Good morning – wait I already greeted you. Uhm…how'd you sleep?" _Wow_ , _I really suck at small talk…or just any normal talk. With Elsa at least._

"I – well, and you? Wait, why are you up so early?" Elsa placed her hand on the door. "You usually sleep until noon."

The redhead shrugged, "Too much energy, I guess. I got you something." A brown square slid underneath the door at Elsa's feet. She took a step back and kneeled to pick the familiar shape up.

"It's a brownie." Came Anna's explanation. The eldest could hear the smile in her sister's voice, felt one form on her own mouth as she stood up straight with the sweet in her gloved hand.

"Louis made them as a treat today. I snuck two into my pockets before he gave me one. Heh, he said that I'd have to wait for lunch for more, but that's not gonna happen."

Elsa looked up at the door, imagined her sister standing before her grinning as if she'd just pulled the heist of the century. "So, you got me one while you get two? How's that fair?"

There was a beat of silence before half a brownie slid underneath her door.

Elsa's smile widened into a grin. "I was just joking, Anna. I already had one with my breakfast."

"Wait what? Giv'it back then!"

"Keep it down, would'ya?"

"Fine Don't give it back." Anna huffed and sat down before the door. "That was a sneaky move, sister dearest."

"Oh calm down, you goof." Elsa giggled and slid the half-brownie back under the door. "Here."

"You sure?" the redhead asked but she had already picked it up from the floor next to her.

"Yes and thank you for the gesture, Anna."

"You're welcome." Anna beamed before she stuffed the whole half into her mouth. " _Mmm_! Som goob!"

"You're going choke if you speak with your mouth full." But Elsa took a bite and melted at the chocolate explosion on her tongue. "Mmm, yum."

"I know right!" Anna giggled, "Lu is a miracle worker." She took a smaller bite from her remaining brownie.

The sisters ate their treat in companionable silence. Elsa shifted so that her back rested against the door. When they were finished, neither knew how to break the silence that had settled between them. Anna bit her lip and pulled her knees to her chest, wondering how she had suddenly lost the ability to talk.

"So," Elsa ventured, toying with her gloved fingers. "What are your plans for today?"

"Oh, you know." Anna waved her hand dismissively, "This and that. Might go to the stables after lunch, ride Kjekk until dinner to avoid Sir Stupid face of the Southern Isles." She glared at the curtain across from her.

"What did he do to make you react this way? Did something happen at lunch yesterday? I heard you stomp past my door and can only assume he upset you somehow."

"That's an understatement." She muttered irritably and sat upright. "What are you planning on doing today? 'Cause it's gonna be a long story."

"Nothing that I can't do later."

"Great, it all started after we sat for lunch." Anna shifted, crossing her legs. "Actually, it happened before that already. I was sitting next to Mama instead of across from her like I usually did, with the Walrus sitting at Papa's left hand. Wine was served to them, and I even got some too!"

"Really?" Elsa asked, eyes wide in surprise.

"Well, kinda. It was watered waaaaay down, but I could taste the weird wine taste or whatever. Anyway, he was pleasant enough while they discussed the castle and its beauty – why are there always so many complements that seem so hollow?"

"It's part of the whole image that nobility needs to keep up." The blonde rested her head back against the door, having recalled the numerous lessons her father had given on the subject. "At least that's what Papa taught me."

"Oh. Great. Another thing that makes being a Princess awesome." She deadpanned.

Elsa laughed, "You have no idea." She cleared her throat, "What happened next? He was pleasant, you said, but I sense more to it that that."

"There was. He was pleasant…until I tried partaking in their discussions."

* * *

"In all my days abroad, your Majesty," Sir William of the Southern Isles intoned, his gaze sweeping over the dining hall, up to the high vaulted ceiling boasting a magnificent chandelier and back down to the flowers arraigned on the table. "Arendelle is by far the most exquisite."

The King's smile was reserved. "Thank you, sir William."

"How many places have you been?" Anna piped up with her usual enthusiasm. Oh how she longed to travel the world and see –

"So many, I've lost count." He dismissed her with nothing more than a cursory glance. If one could even call it that. "The mountains are –" he breathed dramatically as he stared past the Queen and Princess the window behind them where the foot of said mountains could be seen, " – simply breath taking. But," there was a subtle change in his voice, his eyes returned to the impassive King. "it must be difficult to cultivate farmland on such rocky terrain?"

"Our farmlands are beyond the Fenrir mountains" Anna replied before the King or Queen could. The three adults turned their attention to the princess. _This is it, Anna. Show them how much you know. Don't screw this up._ She sat up straighter. "They're used to feed the kingdom more than anything else. Our main trade is with the Ice harvested during the Winter months."

Agdarr and Idunna shook themselves from their surprise and smiled at her, proud.

"It's exactly as Princess Anna said, your grace." he told the Walrus who pursed his lips underneath his moustache. "Our farmlands are purely for subsistence reasons."

"Yes, yes, I am aware of Arendelle's booming ice trade and subsistence farming, but the _Southern_ _Isles_ –"

"Your grace," Idunna cut into the conversation with as much ease as a hot knife would cut through butter. She gestured for the servants standing at attention across from her, who disappeared behind the door leading to the kitchen. "I do believe we've already decided that this lunch would be enjoyed _first_ before the actual reason for your visit will be discussed."

"Indeed." His moss green eyes flitted to the confused Princess before he cleared his throat. "I do apologise for my…eagerness."

"It's quite alright." Agdarr said with a tight lipped smile.

* * *

"They were acting all weird with each other, y'know?" Anna interrupted her story, she rested her head back against the door. "Papa was…ugh, what's that word that means emotionless? Kinda?"

"Uhm…" Elsa tapped her chin in thought, "Impassive?"

"No."

"Apathetic?"

"No. It begins with a…'S' I think."

"Sssss…Stoic?"

"Yes!" Anna nodded with enthusiasm, "That's the one. Papa was super stoic and Mama was pleasant. You know, when she'd really not in the mood to argue or when she's tired?"

"Yeah," Elsa shifted, "Most of the time she'd just let Papa do the talking."

"Ah-huh, anyway, the servants brought us our meal and I had to force myself not to drool…"

* * *

"Oh, yum." Anna grinned wide as she watched the servants lower her father's plate first. "My favourite: sandwiches."

When her plate was finally placed before her, for her mother and the dignitary had to be served after the King and before her, she caught herself just in time to look up at her father to take the first bite. Ugh, she _hated_ etiquette. Why can't everybody just eat at the same time? Her father's every move was calm and collected as he cut a corner off of one of the open sandwiches on his plate and placed it in his mouth.

Anna all but sprang into action after that.

The redhead took the closest slice of bread decorated with the yummiest toppings in her hand and bit into it. It crunched in the most delicious way. Her eyes fluttered closed as the clash from the sweet cheese and salty beef slices exploded on her tongue.

She hummed in pleasure.

A barely suppressed snicker broke her from enjoying her food. When she opened her eyes, Sir William watched her with obvious amusement.

"I gather the food is satisfactory, your Highness?" he asked with a grin that bordered being mocking.

Anna nodded and felt her face warm when she glanced at her parents. Their disapproval wasn't plain, but Anna knew instinctively that she should've practised a little more restraint.

She swallowed, "Chef Louis is a culinary artisan. He never disappoints."

The Queen raised an eyebrow at her choice of words but otherwise said nothing. Anna shot her mother a cheeky grin before she placed her food down. She then forced herself to be as graceful as she could possibly be while she cut into and ate the sandwich like the grown-ups were doing. So focussed was Anna on remembering her etiquette and forcing her hands to move at what she thought to be a snail's pace that she completely missed the conversation going on around her.

Until Iduna cleared her throat delicately.

"Huh?" was Anna's automatic response when she looked up at her mother.

"Sir William had asked you a question, dear."

"Oh. Uh, excuse me." She said and looked over at the dignitary across from her. "You said something, your grace?"

"Indeed I did," he placed his knife and fork on his plate to indicate that he was finished with his meal. "I asked what you do to keep yourself busy during the day, Princess."

"Oh well," she perked up, happy to be included. "I climb trees or slide down the hall or ride my horse, Kjekk, or I practice with my sword or I..uhm, I read?"

He made a noise at the back of his throat. "I was expecting more..." he waved his hand, smiled dismissively, "well, more _Princessy_ duties."

"I've got lessons I go to in the afternoon." she defended herself. _Why is he being so mean. "_ Where I'm taught about Arendelle's history and the arts and so on."

"Ah, see _that's_ what a _Princess_ should do. Becoming knowledgeable in the arts, not sword fighting and whatnot."

Anna felt her temper flare. "I don't see why a Princess cannot be knowledgeable in a flied that has been deemed inappropriate for women to do. What about Joan of Arc? _She_ was a warrior, why can't I be one?"

"Nothing and no one is stopping you from being who you choose to be, Anna." Iduna stepped into the conversation.

"Indeed," the Walrus sat back, "I meant no offence."

* * *

"Oh, he meant offence!" Anna interruped, fuming. "You should've seen his face. He didn't even apologize!"

"I'm sorry, Anna."

"What for? It's not like you made him say that."

"No..." _but I should've at least been there so that he could focus on me instead. At least Mama spoke up._ "I'm just sorry you had to experience nobility like that."

"Well, at least I now know what to expect with future dignitaries."

Elsa hummed.

"And things only got worse."

* * *

Dessert was served while the adults discussed whatever it was they discussed. Anna sat frowning at her krumkake. She still hadn't been able to use her 'big words' properly. The Walrus just annoyed her so much she could hardly think straight. He had this way of looking at her that gave her the creeps. He'd get this look of appraisal, like she's a piece of meat he wants to sell off and then he'd sneer at her when she mentions something she does.

 _What does he know about what a Princess should do anyway? S_ he forced herself not to stab her dessert and chewed calmly. Conversation drifted around her as she wondered how she could incorporate her words into what they were talking about.

"Do you get out often, Princess?" he asked sweetly, trying to include her again.

 _I wish he'd just go back to dismissing me._ Anna sighed softly, "I do what I can to get outside as much as possible." she looked up and realised that this would be an opportune moment to use a big word. "I get a bout of Kleptomania if I stay inside for too long."

The adults frowned at her in the silence that followed.

"You receive...what, your highness?" Sir William asked, he leaned back when a servant took his and everyone else's plates away.

"Kleptomania." Anna repeated confidently, "Y'know, when you feel like the walls are closing in around you."

* * *

"Uhh," Elsa interrupted her narrative as gently as she could. "Anna? You do know what kleptomania means, right?"

"Well, I do _now_!" Anna cried, slamming the palm of her hands on her crossed legs. "I was thinking about claus…claustro –"

"Claustrophobia?"

"Yes. Claustrophobia." Anna scowled at the drapes across from her. "I just got the two mixed up. They sound too alike."

"What happened, then?"

"He laughed at me! Out rightly so. Like his belly bounced around so much I thought he was gonna knock the table over! And then he called me 'cute'." Anna scrunched her face in utter disgust. "I'm trying to prove myself to be a culp – no, wait. _Capable_ adult here and he just calls me ' _cute'_?" she scoffed, "Why are some words so close together anyway? They should sound less alike then I wouldn't be in this embarrassing mess in the first place. You know it happened again this morning?"

"He laughed at you again?" Elsa frowned, "The pig."

"No, he didn't laugh, although he mocked me for messing up again. And yes he's a pig. A fat walrus-pig combination thing –"

"Hybrid."

"Yeah, _that_ word." Anna shifted with a sigh. "I said _culpable_ instead of _capable_ and he just stood there with this smug expression on his face."

"Why are you even doing this?" Elsa finally asked the question she had wanted to ask since the day before.

"Doing what?"

"The whole…" The blonde hesitated in the slightest, "trying to be a grown up thing? It never bothered you what people thought of you before."

"Oh, well. I, uhm, I'm just tired of…I'm tired of being seen as a child, y'know. I'm thirteen now. And I want to do more with my life than just wish the days away. I thought that if I could prove I'm grownup in some way, Mama and Papa would let…me…" Anna sighed and shook her head. "It doesn't matter. It's stupid. I should never have done that in the first place, 'cause I obviously failed. After he laughed at me, I just excused myself and left before I started a food fight."

Silence settled in between them for a few seconds before it was broken.

"What would Mama and Papa let you do?" Elsa asked gently.

"What?"

"You said - earlier - that if you could prove yourself, Mama and Papa would let you do...what exactly?"

Anna shrugged and rested her head back against the door. "That they would consider…making me… your right hand. Maybe."

The blond rested her head back against the door and closed her eyes. _This is why I shouldn't've opened the door to having a converstation with her._ _I_ know _I can't open the actual door we both want to open, but now I've given her hope... Why do I keep hurting the one I'm trying to protect?_

"But after the tantrum I threw when the Walrus laughed at me," Anna continued. "I kinda blew it. I didn't throw an actual tantrum, but I didn't really act…uhm cordial? Cordial is the correct word to use there, right? I mean I did kinda storm out of there like a child and all. Doing the very thing I had hoped to prove I'm not..."

The silence returned.

Anna turned her head to the side, wishing, not for the first time, that they wouldn't be separated by a door. "Elsa?"

 _I'm sorry._ Elsa thought sadly. _I'm so sorry, Anna._ Her magic responded to her sadness. It pooled in the pit of her stomach, cooling it down to form a ball of ice that sat heavy inside of her. _Conceal...don't feel._

"Elsa, please don't shut me out." Anna's voice penetrated Elsa's mantra. "Did I say something wrong?"

"N-no." she managed through clenched teeth. "B-but I think it's time to...I should return to my studies."

"Oh, okay." Anna stood up. "Yeah, I probably kept you away long enough..."

"Thank you for speaking with me, Anna." Elsa stood up stiffly, "I hope you have a pleasant day."

"Okay, uh, y-you too Elsa."

* * *

Things changed after that.

Anna still came to Elsa's door and spoke with her sister, tried to get her to open up more, but Elsa started to respond less and less. She started to give excuses.

"I'm sorry, Anna, but I'm too busy with my studies."

"I'm sorry, Anna, but I can't speak with you today."

"I'm sorry, Anna..."

The redhead really couldn't understand what she had done wrong. She must've done something wrong. There can't be any other explanation. They were fine-ish when Elsa first spoke with her a few weeks ago - a few months ago - a few years... Now all Anna could muster up was knocking on her door just to let Elsa know she was still there. There were times when Anna couldn't even do _that_.

But one thing Anna never lost hope for, even after their parents tragic death, was that they'd be together again. Someday in the future. Even if it would only be when Elsa was coronated as Queen, Anna would be there giving her sister her silent support.

* * *

 **(Wipes at brow dramatically) Frick that...that was difficult to finish. I hope I did it justice and didn't** **disappoint** **. I kinda like how it turned out, let me know what ya think :)**

 **'Till next time.**


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